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CHICAGO — He scored, snarled and showed the urgency of a senior — at least on the offensive end of the floor.

Lost in Michigan State’s 61-58 loss to Ohio State in Saturday’s Big Ten Tournament semifinals was senior center Derrick Nix’s best offensive game in more than a month.

“We didn’t stop him,” OSU coach Thad Matta said after Nix went 6-fot-8 from the floor and 5-for-7 from the line to score 17 points, tied for his second-best output of the season.

Nix had averaged just 7.3 points in his previous four games, but he finished inside against the Buckeyes and played with emotion from start to finish. That’s the Nix the Spartans will need as they look toward the NCAA Tournament.

“I’m giving it all I got, I ain’t saving nothing,” said Nix, the team’s lone senior, who wants a second Final Four after experiencing one as a freshman.

“It’s kind of scary,” Nix said of the fact that this is his last run. “You’ve got to cherish the moment because we won’t get it back.”

Defensively, Nix struggled at times against the pick and roll, an on-and-off issue this season. He took blame after the game for a flagrant foul on Ohio State’s Aaron Craft that helped the Buckeyes ice the game at the end.

Nix yanked Craft down because he wasn’t able to recover fast enough to cut off his driving lane. He has been strong against ball screens before, especially in a Feb. 12 rout of Michigan, and that’s the Nix the Spartans need on the defensive end.

“It’s a shame that Nix had such a productive game in some ways,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said after Saturday’s game, “and yet not in others.”